Joe Mazzulla just won an NBA title, but that doesn't mean he loves everything about the league's rules.
The Boston Celtics coach, in a radio interview in the city earlier this week, wondered aloud whether the NBA should adopt two notable features of hockey — power plays and fighting.
"Basketball is one of the only sports that doesn't have a power play. ... We should have a power play … let's say you get a technical (foul) or a take foul and you get the one shot, but you're not really rewarded for that because if you miss it, you don't get the reward," he said.
Mazzulla then went on to make a case for fighting in basketball.
"The biggest thing we rob people of from an entertainment standpoint is you can't fight anymore," he said.
"... What’s more entertaining than a little scuffle? How come in baseball they're allowed to clear the benches? How come in hockey (they can fight)? I don't understand. ... The other sport has one of the hardest surfaces and playing instrument in a puck and sticks and yet we’re not allowed to throw down a little bit."
Mazzulla backed down from his comments a bit before a game Wednesday. He said his thoughts had more to do with how fouls are being called, per Boston.com
“I didn’t say legalize (fighting),” Mazzulla said. “I just said allow people to express themselves.”
The Celtics are doing just fine under current NBA rules, with the team off to a 4-1 start. However, they sustained their first loss on Wednesday with an overtime setback against the Indiana Pacers.
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